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Arttu Välilä scored the decisive goal at two minutes and eleven seconds of extra time as the Finnish squad pulled off a stunning four to three win over the two-time defending champion American team on Friday night in the IIHF World Junior Championship quarter-finals.

"We must give credit to the US," remarked Finnish captain Aron Kiviharju. "That's a fantastic squad, full of great players and a superbly organized team. But I mentioned we wanted that revenge from last year, and I believe we kind of earned it this evening."

In the semifinal matches on Sunday, Finland will take on the Swedish team, while the Canadians will play the Czech Republic. Sweden beat Latvia six to three, Canada produced a five-goal first period in a 7-1 rout over Slovakia, and the Czechs overcame the Swiss by a six to two score.

Thrilling Third Period and Extra Session

The Michigan State Spartan L. Ryker tied it for the U.S. team with 1:33 left in regulation and the Notre Dame netminder Nick Kempf off for an extra attacker.

L. Tuuva and J. Saarelainen found the net in a 55-second burst in the third to hand Finland a 2-1 advantage. He leveled the score at two-all with seven minutes and seventeen seconds left, then assisted on his teammate's go-ahead goal with six minutes and twenty-two seconds remaining. Saarelainen also assisted on Tuuva’s goal.

Key Performances and Post-Game Comments

The BU defenseman Cole Hutson had a goal and a helper for the Americans after taking a shot in the head versus Switzerland and sitting out two games.

"In my opinion we made good plays for a lot of the game," Hutson said. "But the little bounces that they got, many of their Grade-A chances resulted from our mistakes."

His BU teammate Cole Eiserman gave the United States a two to one edge on a man advantage with 9:45 left in the second period. He accepted a pass from his teammate and beat the Finnish goaltender with a one-timer from the right side.

C. Hutson tallied on a rush thirty-five seconds into the second period. Heikki Ruohonen equalized at four minutes and forty-six seconds on a quick shot from the left side.

Between the Pipes Summary

• Rimpinen saved twenty-eight attempts.
• The American netminder made 21 saves.

The U.S. squad lost their last two games – losing six to three to the Swedes on Wednesday night in the group finale – after starting with their first three.

"It has been an privilege to coach this team," said the American bench boss. "They played a great game tonight and came up just short. Give the Finns. It's an empty emotion at the moment, but our players gave it all they had."

Other Quarter-Final Results

In the late game in the host city, the Canadian team routed Slovakia with the aforementioned first-period explosion.

Cole Reschny, T. Iginla, M. Misa, S. O'Reilly and Brady Martin scored in the opening twenty minutes, and Porter Martone and C. Beaudoin connected in the following period. J. Ivankovic turned aside twenty-one shots.

"Just goes to show how dominant we are," Martin remarked. "Going up five-nothing lead, it really saps their morale."

In the opening playoff game, A. Frondell netted a pair for Sweden against Latvia. The defenseman Leo Sahlin Wallenius contributed a goal and two helpers to aid the Swedes remain undefeated in their five outings.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis T. Galvas, S. Drancak, Adam Jiricek, Petr Sikora, Jiri Klima and J. Fibigr scored for the Czechs.

Relegation Match Outcome

Germany triumphed in the consolation match, defeating the Danes 8-4. M. Schams scored twice to ensure Germany keep its place next year in the top division. The Danish side dropped to Division I-A.